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Countdown To Retirement: Seven Steps To Get Ready

Are you among the millions of Baby Boomers counting down the days to retirement? Before you move into the next stage of life, it's important to get all of your financial ducks in line. To prepare yourself, consider these seven practical suggestions.

1. Rebuild the budget. You've probably been living on a monthly budget that takes into account your usual expenditures and income. But that's about to change in a big way. For example, once you stop working, your expenses for a business wardrobe and commuting will also end, but so will the regular paychecks you've been living on.

Come up with a new plan. Identify what you expect to have coming in and going out. Remember that you won't be able to rely on 401(k) deferrals to reduce your taxable income after retirement, but you should still keep saving.

2. Zone in on a homestead. You could be planning to pull up stakes and move to a smaller home, perhaps downsizing from the place where your kids grew up and you might hope to end up in a warmer climate or in a less expensive area (or both). Or perhaps you're contemplating a move to a retirement community. But this kind of upheaval isn't for everyone, and you just might decide to stay put. In any event, your choice will affect numerous other aspects of retirement.

Also, don't assume that you and your spouse share the same vision. If you haven't talked about it yet, bring up the subject before you call it quits.

3. Review your investments. As you head into the home stretch before retirement, compile a list all of the investment assets you own, including amounts parked in taxable accounts, bank savings or checking accounts, and tax-favored retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs. Consider whether you will want to keep retirement plan assets where they are when you retire or consolidate them into other accounts. Similarly, consider the best use of life insurance policies.

One thing to think about is whether to convert your traditional IRAs to a Roth IRA. Although the conversion is taxable, your future withdrawals from the account will normally be tax-free. Check with a professional to crunch the numbers.

4. Settle on Social Security. If you retire before full retirement age (FRA)—age 66 for most Baby Boomers—you'll receive less in monthly Social Security benefits. You can apply for benefits as early as age 62. Waiting until after you reach FRA, on the other hand, can result in bigger monthly benefits. The longer you wait, until you turn 70, the larger your benefit checks will be.

But if you and your spouse will both receive Social Security payments, there will be other factors to consider. For instance, a higher-earning spouse might wait longer to claim benefits to provide greater protection for a surviving spouse if the higher-earning spouse dies first.

5. Learn all about Medicare. Usually, retirees opt to be covered by Medicare once they become eligible at age 65. But you will have a number of options to consider, so it's best to familiarize yourself with the key elements of Medicare before then. Estimating your future out-of-pocket costs, including premiums, deductibles, and prescription drug costs will help you decide which Medicare benefits to opt for and whether you'll need to supplement Medicare with coverage from a private insurance plan. Try to investigate all of the possibilities before the time comes to make your decisions.

6. Develop a draw-down strategy. Control the distribution of funds in your retirement by deciding which accounts you want to tap first. Although everyone's circumstances are different, often the best plan is to withdraw funds from your taxable accounts first (because you'll owe only capital gains taxes, which are usually much lower than taxes on distributions from 401(k)s and traditional IRAs), then from those other tax-deferred accounts, and finally from your Roth IRAs. This sequence enables you to benefit from tax-free compounding of investment income within a Roth for as long as possible.

But taxes aren't the only consideration. You may have other reasons for withdrawing funds from some accounts and holding onto others.

7. Meet with your financial advisor. As you can see, you'll be facing some difficult decisions during your countdown to retirement, and the financial consequences can be significant. But you don't have to do it all by yourself.

Schedule a meeting with your advisor to assess and review your situation well before your expected retirement. The countdown to retirement won't be as nerve-wracking if you're well prepared.

This article was written by a professional financial journalist for Vantage Advisors, LLC and is not intended as legal or investment advice.